Pesoli protest over after four days

Italian defender Emanuele Pesoli has brought an end to his hunger strike after four days.

Pesoli, who left Siena to join Verona in July, was given a three-match ban on Friday as part of the punishments the FIGC handed out over the match-fixing scandal in the country.

The 31-year-old had said he was going on hunger strike as he "would like to confront those who accuse me" and had been chained to the gates of FIGC headquarters since Saturday.

However, having now been granted a meeting with FIGC president Giancarlo Abete on Friday, he has agreed to end his protest.

"The doctor examined me today and forced me to eat something," Pesoli told the ANSA news agency. "The real reason I interrupted the protest was that the vice-president of the federation, Demetrio Albertini, called me again and showed great sensitivity.

"Nobody from the prosecutor's office or the Federal Court has made contact, so I decided to go back home to my children and await the meeting with president Abete. I think it's the most responsible thing to do."